Plug In Cars is reporting that there have been "massive layoffs" at California electric vehicle startup Coda Automotive. Apparently, more than 50 employees, "including a substantial part of its sales and marketing staff," were let go according to an anonymous source. The source said the situation was a "real mess," and that, "They just cut everybody they possibly could."

*UPDATE: Coda sent us this statement, from Forrest Beanum, SVP of Government Relations & External Affairs:

CODA has released approximately 50 employees or 15% of our workforce across all functions to streamline our operations and right-size the Company. The Company is taking this action to better position our business going forward. We remain committed to the continued development and distribution of our products. The quality and safety of our products is of paramount importance. CODA vehicles meet all applicable U.S. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) and achieved an overall 4-star rating in National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) testing.

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Wait...you mean to tell me a company that 99 percent of America has never heard of that is making an electric car with a very limited range that looks like a late 90s compact but has a price tag higher than a 2012 Camaro SS is in trouble?
No way.

It shouldn't be possible for a two star FRONTAL crash car to get an overall four stars. I feel like the frontal crash test result should have more weight in the result because, you know, cars spend almost all their time going forward...

It's no wonder when you are selling a car that looks like it came from the 90's. Boring design, and you are asking nearly $40K for it. Can't expect to last long.
People want style and class, and this car has none of either.

You cant lump this car in with Tesla and Fisker. Fisker is arguably one of the best looking sedans on the market and still has a chance if its able to get its next lower priced model out and Tesla is building top notch cars. This Hyundai Excel wanna be had no chance unless it was 1989 and this was the only EV on the market priced at 15K. I have two EV's and I actually test drove a Coda to see if it was really that bad. With the current options out there I cant see any singe person opting for this car.

I'm not surprised. I passed a trailer hauling one of these and in person, very ugly uninspiring cars. It reminded me of a mid 2000s Hyundai as far as styling. When you put it in perspective against the Volt, the Volt all of a sudden is way more appealing.